Altar Servers

The ministry of Altar Server is a great privilege that is taken up by only a few people in the church. It is believed to have existed, in various forms, as early as the 3rd Century in the Latin Church.

Acolytes and Altar Servers have an active role in the Order of the Mass every Sunday and on special feasts and occasions. They assist the priest during the Mass. Equally as important, they assist the community in prayer through their actions and symbolism during the Mass. In our parish of St Andrew’s, altar serving is open to any Catholic boy or girl in Year 5 at school or older. It is desirable that you are Confirmed, but you must have made your First Reconciliation and received First Holy Communion. After some initial training, Servers are placed on the roster with more experienced Servers in order to develop their confidence and understanding of the role.

By volunteering to become an Altar Server, you are entering a ministry of service where reverence, dedication and commitment are needed in order to perform the role properly. Being a Server becomes a part of your identity that travels with you through life and the commitment by the Server is very much a commitment by their family.